Ruger M77 Hawkeye .308 with a Nikon Prostaff 3x9x40 Scope

Ruger M77 Hawkeye .308 with a Nikon Prostaff 3x9x40 Scope

Today I am going to review the Ruger M77 Haweye which I have joined with a Nikon Prostaff 3x9x40 scope.

Gun Review Stars *****
Scope Review Stars *****

The Ruger struts some improvements over the legendary M77. They are:

LC6 single stage trigger set at about 4 lbs (but not adjustable)
Hammer forged barrel
Built in scope mounts for improved accuracy
Better checkering for super grip

This gun has lots going for it. I have owned a Thompson Center Encore in .270 caliber. This gun is a more consistent shooter in my hands. It feels better to me on and off range. It weighs around 7 lbs and doesn't feel cumbersome in the field.

I have been able to maintain around 1 inch groups at 100 yards. I also like the look of the stainless and the black synthetic stock. I have owned a lot of Ruger guns (44 mag Super Redhawk, 9 mm P89 and a .22 long rifle) and have never had a single misfire or problem with any of them. I trust Ruger. I don't have money to spend on junk. It's as simple as that. Check other reviews of this weapon and you will see that this gun is awesome.

I prefer the .308 caliber over the 30.06 for hunting deer. They share the same size bullet but the .06 has more powder and a longer shell. I feel that the .308 allows me almost all of the same applications as the the .06 but without the kick. The .308 is highly accurate perhaps more so than the .06 in part due to the flinch factor related to the 17.6 ft/lbs of recoil energy (150 grain bullet) over the 15.8 ft/lbs (150 grain bullet) related to the .308. It should be mentioned that most people find 15 ft/lbs to be pretty comfortable but anything above this may smart a bit. Most folks use a bit larger bullet for the .06 and will find it more brutal as it reaches up to the mid 20's in recoil.

Some will argue that the bigger powder charge of the .06 will open a greater number of hunting opportunities. Sounds great but there are plenty of people who use the .308 for moose hunting. In fact, it is listed as one of the recommended calibers for moose hunting in the state of Alaska.http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.moose . In addition, I found several articles that speak of the use of the .308 in moose hunting. Seems to be a common caliber for this type of hunting. http://www.kimberamerica.com/testimonials.php

If I can kill a moose with a .308, why should I take a beating with the .06? And what bigger animal should I consider in North America? A grizzly? Yeah, I wouldn't be hunting a grizzly with an .06 either. I would look for something a bit bigger.


So my point is that while the .06 has a slightly faster bullet the extra speed doesn't open up much in application for me. I feel that overall the .308 is more accurate, with less kick, similar if not more round choices available for the .308 and therefore a better buy.

The scope is a 3x9x40 Nikon Prostaff. I notice that this scope gathers light very well at the dusk and dawn times. I am able to make out detail a bit past shooting hours. I don't recommend taking shots past legal shooting hours but I know all of us look at this quality in a scope.

The scope was dropped on concrete one day as I was cleaning the muzzleloader it was attached to. Unfortunately, it knocked the scope way off. I later placed the scope on this rifle when I bought a Nikon Omega for my muzzleloader. I noticed that once I zeroed the scope I haven't had to readjust it much. Admittedly, I haven't had the scope for more than a year and while I have had to tweak it a couple of times I haven't been too far off the mark before tweaking it. This makes me wonder if I had it truly zeroed in the first place.

My last trip to the range I perfectly zeroed the scope in to zero and all shots about 16 (150 grain Remington Coreloks) were within a 3 inch circle and 3 were dead center. This is shooting without a vise just a regular gun rest.

I love the gun and scope. The gun cost me around $600 @ Bass Pro Shop and the scope was $120 @ WalMart. You could spend more for "Better" stuff, but you wont get better performance.

God Bless,
Sean